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Tagged: Bill James
Obstructions and Umpire Decisions and Unbearable Game Conclusions, Oh My!!
So, a Trip-Off Obstruction, eh? That's certainly, well, something. One might even say it sets a new standard…well…a new standard for post season game win oddities at any rate.
Look, for the record I think the obstruction call was the correct, by the rules call. Would Allen Craig have scored if he hadn't tripped over Will Middlebrooks? Yes. Was Middlebrooks in the path of the runner, limbs flailing as he was trying to get up? Yes. Does intention ever have anything to do with an obstruction or interference call? No. But I don't particularly want to rehash the whole thing here. As ever, this isn't that kind of blog. I've read several fascinating in depth analyses of the play, the subsequent call and the intricacies of MLB's rulebook on other blogs and news sites. There is no way I could possibly handle it any better than my peers and betters, so I see little point in being redundant by even trying.
Something that interests me more, if only for the fact that I haven't seen anyone discussing it, is why, to the fan, we're all so disappointed by the call even if we happen to agree with it. I mean, I agree with the call but I finished that game feeling decidedly blah and I'm kind of a stats and rules nerd. *pauses briefly to pelt her husband with a pillow for scoffing at the 'kind of' part of that phrase* I think it boils down to this: in baseball, we love our oddities. We adore firsts, onlies, one of the fews and near misses. We keep more detailed and incredibly situation specific stats that any other sport. We adore rules and technicalities and we absolutely live to argue. But even the most geeky, nerdy and pedantic among us backs all of that up with an intense passion. Seriously. Go watch reruns of the last season of Clubhouse Confidential if you don't believe me. As proof goes, watching Bill James unexpectedly go completely fanboy over some of his player exceptions to sabermetric stats and seeing Brian Kenny initially flabbergasted and then unable to keep from joining in, is pretty much incontrovertible.
So, as I was saying…we love rules and technicalities, but do we want to see a game won on a technicality no matter how correct the call? No, absolutely not. Even in an average, regular season game a conclusion that passion and skill free would be kind of a letdown. And this is the World Series, a meeting of the best of the absolute best that both leagues have to offer. I mean, we all understand that every single World Series game can't be the stuff of legends – we've all seen our share of dull and uninspired post season play. But so much about the World Series is frequently epic that we have certain expectations as fans. I mean, Doc's no hitter. Gibby's straight from the comic books walk off homerun. That absolutely amazing extra innings come back, re-come back, come back again, extravaganza of a Cardinals/Rangers game six. The Angels coming back from certain defeat in game six to win the whole thing in game sev…what? Did I ever promise any of you I wouldn't Angels' fangirl in these electronic pages? No. Exactly! Quite the opposite, in fact. 😉
In this excitement filled environment, in which history has taught us to expect magnificent feats of baseball derring-do, anything less than a heated, closely contested match is already a serious letdown. So a strange fine print rules-based victory is especially anticlimactic…probably even for Cardinals' fans, though they'll still happily take it as they should. Now, does any of that mean that the umpires should have called the play differently? Well, should a World Series team slaughtering their opponents 12 to 0 in the 6th inning let the other guys score a little so that the fans get a more exciting game? Of course not, that would be beyond ridiculous…and so would be the umpires calling that play any differently just because it's the World Series. Yes, it's unsatisfying…so do the same thing you'd be doing if the scenario were any other unsatisfying conclusion to a World Series game – or any other game for that matter – and hope that the next one is better.
Of course, I can tell you one positive outcome of the obstruction call…no one's continuing to beat a dead horse over that overturned call at second now, are they? 😉


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No. 6: Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN
2013 Number Of Jobs: 823,000
Job Growth, 2013: 3.0%
Job Growth, 2008-13: 9.7%
It was, I think, the hum. At Midday recently at Joe Ledbetter's BrickTop's restaurant in Nashville–a busy spot on West End Avenue near Vanderbilt University and the city's Music Row–the Tennessee state commissioner of economic development was lunching nearby, at a table adjacent to the head of a private K-12 school. The rector of the city's largest Episcopal church sat in one corner near the general counsel of a huge privately held technology company that migrated to town from the West Coast a decade ago; the head of a major private-equity firm was in a booth across the way, debating between the bistro chicken and the Cobb salad. Absorbing the scene, a visiting out-of-towner looked up from his iced tea and shook his head with an admiration that bordered on envy. "This place," he said, "just sounds prosperous." So it did–and so does Nashville, where my family and I moved from New York in 2012. In the buzz, the visitor heard what Jay Gatsby heard when he listened to Daisy Buchanan, whose voice, Fitzgerald wrote, was "full of money." Loud but not deafening, energetic but not frantic, the BrickTop's vibe is a kind of running fever line tracking the upward mobility of a city so culturally and economically hot that parents at kids' basketball games joke about how the only place to go is down. The story of Nashville's current prosperity is a case study in how to make the most out of organic advantages. The specific factors behind its rise aren't readily transferable, but the larger lessons about what works are. Chief among the takeaways from the Music City's revival: culture is commerce.
Middle Tennessee is one of at least a dozen red-hot but sometimes overlooked regions that have successfully pulled themselves out of the Great Recession and into a broad, rising prosperity. Though the ingredients for the booms are often similar, each region has a different recipe. So what's Nashville's secret?
Tommy Frist, a son of Hospital Corporation of America's (HCA's) founding Frist family, who left Nashville in the late 1980s but returned a decade ago to work and raise his own family here, ticks off "four buckets" that he believes contribute significantly to the city's good fortune. There is employment stability in health care, entertainment, higher education and government. There is the wealth effect of ownership that extends deep into the ranks of some large enterprises, such as HCA, Ingram Industries and Dollar General, and those people and their money generally stay in middle Tennessee. There is a single metro government, thus reducing friction in governance and facilitating more private-public partnerships. And there is the more ineffable but no less real issue of livability. "Nashville is a soulful city in a way that Charlotte or Atlanta just don't seem to be," says Frist. "The vibe is cool, but it's warm and comforting too."
In some ways the current boom can be traced to a conversation at the Masters Golf Tournament that took place nearly half a century ago with legendary Nashville banker Sam Fleming. There Frist's grandfather and father, Drs. Thomas Frist Sr. and Jr., and Jack Massey, who was part of the deal to buy Kentucky Fried Chicken from Harland Sanders, talked over the economic virtues of privatized hospitals built to accommodate the growing Sunbelt. They saw an opportunity to professionalize the management of, and attract capital to, a heretofore cottage industry.
They were right, and HCA was soon born. The Nashville Healthcare Council has published a "family tree" of more than 500 companies, many of them spun off from HCA, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and HealthTrust, a cost-management company partnered with 1,400 hospitals that is itself an HCA descendant. More than 250 health care companies remain in the city, including 13 publicly traded companies directly employing over one-eighth of the city's workers and putting $30 billion into the local economy annually. HCA has bounced back from a massive health care fraud settlement, and the sector has experienced overall growth of over 63% since 2000 and employment growth of nearly 20% over the past decade.
Then there's music, a primal element in the life of the city. In the 1960s, a young Columbia Records staffer named Kris Kristofferson flew a helicopter into Johnny Cash's backyard in a Nashville suburb, recording demos in hand. In 1973 a drunk, depressed Willie Nelson left the downtown honky-tonk Tootsie's late one night to lie down in the middle of a snow-covered Broadway hoping to get run over. "It was a town of characters for a long time," says Don Cusic, a leading country-music historian and a music-business professor at Belmont University. "They haven't disappeared, but it's so corporate now."
The shift from chaos to corporatism might be bad for adding to lore and legend, but it's been fabulous for the bottom line. The music and entertainment industry provides $10 billion to Nashville's economy annually, sustaining more than 56,000 jobs. "It's like high school with money," says Gary Overton, CEO of Sony Music Nashville. "We all know each other. We know the spouses. We know the dogs. Our kids go to school together."
Taylor Swift's story blends the old and new Nashvilles–she arrived because of the former and stays because of the latter. "I decided to move to Nashville when I was about 10 years old," Swift tells Time. "I was obsessed with watching biography TV shows about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I noticed that both of them went to Nashville to start their careers. From that point on, I began relentlessly nagging, begging and pleading with my parents to take me on a trip there. When I was 11, my mom took my brother and me to Nashville on spring break, and we drove up and down Music Row." By the time Swift was 13, she had a development deal and her parents made the move from Pennsylvania.
Swift has not considered decamping to Los Angeles or New York City as her star has soared. "Choosing to have my management company based in Nashville just made sense because my family is there as well as my record label," she says. "I never think about moving home bases. It's hard to describe why you consider a town your home base, except that when people ask me, 'Where's home?' I don't even think before I say, 'Nashville.'"
Swift loves the Nashville code: the city leaves its stars alone. "The cool thing about spending time in Nashville is that no one knows when I'm there," she says. "In New York and L.A., there are photographers waiting on the street, and it seems like every errand I run is photographed and documented. You don't see as much evidence of me spending time in Nashville because I'm not being photographed at the grocery store."
In the beginning, however, there was not music but education–and lots of it. Nashville's first pass at branding was not Music City but the Athens of the South, a designation that recognized the high concentration of colleges and universities and a civic fondness for classical architecture. Beyond the aesthetics, the education sector is hugely significant. "It's a really powerful, synergistic relationship," says Vanderbilt chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos, whose trajectory reflects Nashville's culture of organic growth. Zeppos went to Vanderbilt to teach in the law school, rose to become provost and now presides over one of the hottest schools in the U.S. (A word of disclosure: I am a visiting faculty member at Vanderbilt.)
Nashville is home to more than 100,000 students and 21 higher-education institutions, with 60% of graduates choosing to stay in the area. The leader is Vanderbilt, the second largest private employer in the state. Middle Tennessee State University, which has more than 24,000 students, pumps over $1 billion of revenue and nearly 12,000 jobs into the Nashville area. Belmont, which hosted a presidential debate in 2008, has more than doubled its enrollment since 2000, and its music-business program serves as a pipeline to Music Row.
The political element in Nashville's rise offers powerful evidence that reflexive partisanship is bad for business. Under the mayoralties of Democrats Phil Bredesen (who went on to serve two terms as governor), Bill Purcell and Karl Dean, Nashville has become the richest city in the most Republican of states. Part of the secret is that metro elections are nonpartisan. For the mayor and council members (there are 40 of them), there is a general election, and if you don't get 50% of the vote, there's a runoff. "It truly is nonpartisan–there's no party labels, and people don't talk about it," says Dean, the current mayor. "Historically, the city is just very moderate."
And very lucky in its political leadership. Purcell, Bredesen and Dean have given the city several decades of shrewd service. In the early 1990s, BellSouth (now AT&T) built the "Batman Building" as its regional headquarters in downtown Nashville. The building, the tallest in Tennessee, has become the anchor of the city's skyline. Bredesen also pushed ahead with plans for what would become Bridgestone Arena, without knowing what team or sport it would field. "We just went ahead and almost like a leap of faith put up this really monumental and iconic arena," says Steve Turner, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist.
To bring the NFL to town, Bredesen wooed Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams with the promise of a free, brand-new stadium, a $29 million relocation-fee sweetener and 100% of stadium-related revenue. A prominent family, the Ingrams, agreed to move one of its distribution facilities down the river to make way for what would become LP Field, home to the Tennessee Titans. At about the same time, Nashville changed its zoning codes, allowing residential projects in much of downtown that had been blocked off since the mid-1970s.
In 2010, with construction under way on the nearly $600 million Music City Center, Nashville offered huge tax incentives to attract a luxury hotel, eventually hauling in the $268 million, 800-room Omni. The hotel shares a lobby with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which will double in size in the midst of this year's $100 million fundraising campaign. The expanded music shrine may bring even more visitors to town. The current tourist boom helped area hotels book nearly all their rooms on 31 weekends in 2013.
Generating growth is one thing. Sustaining it is another. Tennessee has no income tax–a great starter for attracting businesses and new residents but not a great finisher for raising large sums for public-sector investment, particularly for education, a longtime area of concern. One thing about prosperity is that it tends to put a city's vices as well as its virtues on vivid display. Over 72% of students in metropolitan Nashville's public schools are economically disadvantaged. Only a third of elementary- and middle-school students meet grade-level standards in math, and 2 out of 5 meet the grade level in reading. Nashville is now on the map for education-reform activists, largely because in 2010 Tennessee was one of the first two states to win a Race to the Top grant, receiving $500 million over four years from the federal government. Dean considers education one of his top two priorities for the future. (The other is transit, and his plan to connect the city's east and west sides through a bus rapid-transit line has ignited fierce debate.)
On any given day at BrickTop's, usually over deviled eggs and sugar bacon–a specialty of Ledbetter's–there are reformers and politicians and bankers and artists and academics talking about all of this and more. Nashville has done a masterly job of assessing what's right in front of it–the health care story, the music story, the higher-education story–and then figuring out how to use those stories to create appealing lives and livelihoods. And the city has managed all this with more than a little grace and graciousness; rough edges tend to be smoothed out by an ethos of manners and hospitality. Running into neighbors and new colleagues in the bar that connects the front door to the dining room, newcomers to town hear a common refrain. "We're glad you're here," people say–words that ring true amid the buzz of good times and that help explain why so many folks are glad to be coming to a big civic party that shows every sign of having only just gotten started.
–With reporting by Alex Rogers/Washington
SEE MORE SOLUTIONS at time.com/solutionsforamerica | PRESENTED BY SIEMENS
Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly described the driving force behind the project that would become Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
Witness a city in transformation, glimpse exotic animals, explore the past and enjoy that beach before the crowds.
Leather jackets and skinny jeans join cowboy boots.
Country music lovers have long made the pilgrimage to Nashville, but now the city has fast gained cachet among rock fans and foodies. The city's vibrant scene is home to the Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Jeff the Brotherhood and Diarrhea Planet, who all play in town occasionally. And a youthquake is transforming scruffy neighborhoods like 12South and East Nashville into hipster hubs. New hangouts include Pinewood Social, a bar, restaurant, bowling alley and karaoke joint, and the 404, a restaurant and boutique hotel in a former auto garage. Add to that a thriving culinary scene, exemplified by the Music City Eats Festival, back for a second year in September. And Nashville's old standbys — like the honky-tonk Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and the venerable Ryman — are as fun as ever.— STEVEN KURUTZ
Staff Reporter-Nashville Business Journal
For the first time ever, the median sales price for a single-family home in Nashville surpassed $200,000 in June, the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors announced today.
The median price for a single-family home sold in Nashville last month was $205,950, up from $179,000 a year ago. The median price for a condo sold in June dropped to $159,000, down from $160,000 a year ago.
The previous high for a single-family home was $196,000, which was set back in June of 2007.
"Seeing prices increase may encourage some people to consider selling, which would be helpful in light of the fact that inventory remains low," said GNAR President Price Lechleiterin a news release. "Quality properties are selling very quickly right now."
There were 3,038 home sales reported in the Nashville area in June, up 23.8 percent from a year ago.
Poll: Is Nashville experiencing a housing bubble?
"The positive trends in real estate activity should not be taken for granted. Interest rates have begun to increase, which is not surprising," Lechleiter said. "But, there are questions about possible decisions by the federal government impacting the mortgage interest deduction, FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And, several key regulations from the Dodd-Frank legislation that negatively impact mortgage lending are scheduled to go into effect in January of 2014. We are closely monitoring what happens with these issues and working with legislators to best protect homeowners, commercial property owners and the health of the real estate industry as a whole."
Single-family homes sold in June had sat on the market for an average of 73 days. Nashville's total inventory of available homes, condos and lots stood at 16,576 at the end of June, down from 19,136 a year ago.
"Increasing sales during the summer season is typical, but the number of closings would likely be even higher if more quality inventory were available," Lechleiter said. "There is currently only about a four-month supply of single-family homes, not counting the fact that more than 3,000 of the available properties have contracts pending. Buyers are well-represented and know what they are looking for in their home searches. Potential sellers should remember that homes that are truly market-ready are moving well, but buyers are only interested in the properties that have been prepared and priced properly."
Staff Reporter-Nashville Business Journal
Greater Nashville's seemingly sluggish housing recovery has shifted into a summertime surge.
Home prices are breaking records, supply is shrinking, sales are climbing and builders are busier than they have been in years.
In the past few months, the ailing housing industry has made a sharp turn — in both sales and lending — toward a sellers' market. It's a key driver in Middle Tennessee's economic recovery at a time when other sectors still need a boost.
"It's been a dramatic shift," said Jack Miller, an agent with Nashville-based Parks Realty. "We are trying our best to keep up with the demand. … In 2009 we waited for the phone to ring. Today we try to get out … the door before the phone rings. It's a new world."
The turnaround is not only benefiting real-estate brokers and home builders. Retailers, bankers and other industries stand to feel the bounce.
Homebuyers stimulate the economy in lots of ways. They buy furniture, refrigerators, garden hoses and lawn mowers. And when home values go up, homeowners feel better about their finances and are more apt to spend.
A healthy housing supply also is critical for business growth. Housing is at the top of the list for companies deciding where to relocate.
The recent frenzy — limited supply means bidding wars are back — is reminiscent of the early 2000s. But real estate professionals are not worried about another bubble. Construction was so constrained during the recession that a lack of supply is now driving up prices.
Suddenly, builders can't build new homes fast enough. Buyers are snagging them before construction is complete with little to no concessions from builders.
"Builders are getting paid right now," said David McGowan, president of Regent Homes. "Two years ago we were really struggling to keep the doors open and pay the subcontractors and the banks. It's back to profitability."
Home construction was up 34 percent during the first quarter in Greater Nashville, according to Metrostudy, a real estate tracking company. Meanwhile, sales of new homes were up 21 percent. The surge in home construction is a sign of job growth.
"Traffic is very strong," McGowan said. "The latest uptick in interest rates has caused a lot of people to get off the fence, and banks have opened the door and started to lend to people who have equity. Things have greatly improved over the past nine to 12 months."
Lending rebounds
Middle Tennessee banker Richard Herrington said the second quarter saw a "remarkable increase" in real estate activity compared to last year.
"We have never had volume like this in the 20 years we've been in Williamson County," said Herrington, president of Franklin Synergy Bank. "It's by far the best first half we've ever had."
In the second quarter, the number of mortgages closed by Franklin Synergy was up 35 percent compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of construction loans the bank closed was up 62 percent.
Buyers are looking for a home where they can close a sale in 30 days, said McGowan, but their options are slim.
A big worry among real estate professionals is the shortage of lots ready for home construction, said McGowan, adding that we are already seeing shortages in certain areas of Williamson and Davidson counties.
With demand for new homes outpacing supply, Nashville's stock of new single-family homes has dipped to a two-month supply, down from a high of 3.8 months three years ago, according to Metrostudy.
With demand strong and supply low, prices are on the rise.
For the first time ever, the median sales price for a single-family home in Nashville surpassed $200,000 in June, according to the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors.
The median price for a single-family home sold in Nashville last month was $205,950, up from $179,000 a year ago. The previous high was $196,000, which was set in June 2007.
In today's market, homes are selling on average within 1.3 percent of list price in Nashville, according to ZipRealty.
Prices have increased rapidly across the country. From May 17 to June 15, the median sales price of nearly $276,000 in the metro areas that ZipRealty analyzed was $5,000 higher than just two weeks earlier, and 15.8 percent higher than in the same period of 2012.
"Home sellers are moving back into the market with slightly greater confidence and in growing numbers today," ZipRealty CEO and President Lanny Baker said.
Many expect the rising prices to slow.
"With the recent jump in mortgage rates, on top of steady home price increases over the past several quarters, there are good reasons to anticipate some cooling off in the housing market; however it was difficult to detect any clear signs of that change in trend as of mid-June," Baker said.
Bidding wars return
So far this year, Realtor Stephanie Crawford of Keller Williams has done more business than all of last year.
These days she's getting nearly 250 inquiries a month from her website. During the recession, that number was closer to 100.
If a home is renovated, located in a hot neighborhood with little inventory and priced right, it's not uncommon for a seller to get multiple offers shortly after listing.
"Bidding wars are becoming the norm in certain neighborhoods," Crawford said, pointing to East Nashville as one example.
"It's crazy what's going on over there," she said. "I recently had a buyer that bid on a property, and we were one of 11 buyers. We bid $10,000 over list, and we did not win."
A big factor driving Nashville's housing recovery is corporate relocations.
"Over the last year we've seen both markets — local buyers and the out-of-town buyers — rebound," Miller said. "Especially in upscale areas we have had a large influx of corporate relocations, which came to a near shutdown for years."
During the recession, companies nationwide tightened their belts in what they were offering to move people across the country. And people who were offered an opportunity to relocate were reluctant to sell their home in a down housing market.
Real estate professionals believe the recent shift is just the beginning of the next housing boom.
"Prices [in some areas] are still not what they were at the height of the recession in 2007," Crawford said.
And while Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin are on fire, others areas of Middle Tennessee are lagging.
"In some of the outlying areas the story is a little different," Miller said. "Cheatham County and Fairview are still in somewhat of a lull. They haven't turned the corner yet."
By Suzanne Woolley - Mar 6, 2013 3:30 PM CT
|Happiness is a Choice
What would it take to make you happy? Think about your answer for a moment, because we have reasons to be happy every day, even if the world around us seems to have come unglued.
Some of you think that if you only had this or that particular thing you would be happy. Others believe that if you were only in love with someone wonderful, who loved you back, then you would be happy. And there are probably still others who believe that if God would work a miracle and cure you or someone you love of an illness, that would make you happy.
But here is the thing: Happiness is a choice you make, not something that does or doesn't happen to you. You can choose to be happy right now, no matter what you have or don't have.
The first step is gratitude. If you develop and heighten your powers of appreciation by focusing on the beauty in your life instead of the imperfections, you will be halfway there. Take a moment. You will see an abundance of beauty in your life, regardless of your surroundings or circumstances, if you will only look for it. You will be adopting the "attitude of gratitude."
Once you can see it - appreciate it! Not just intellectually - let it give you real joy. You see, the time to be happy is now, the place to be happy is here, and the reasons to be happy are all around us.
So what are you waiting for? Decide for yourself. Choose to be happy and see how it affects everything else you think, see and do!
If you would like not to receive my weekly emails of "Today's Wisdom", please just reply to this email and write UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject Box and you will never receive it again, but I will still hold good thoughts for you and yours.
No. 6: Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN2013 Number Of Jobs: 823,000Job Growth, 2013: 3.0%Job Growth, 2008-13: 9.7% For Full Article Please Click Here Read more
15-05-2014 Nashville Ranking
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Nashville and its economy are on fire, sparked by a booming cultural scene,world-class health care, rising universities--and a really good spot on the map It was, I think, the hum. At Midday recently at Joe Ledbetter's BrickTop's restaurant in Nashville–a busy... Read more
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Witness a city in transformation, glimpse exotic animals, explore the past and enjoy that beach before the crowds. 15. Nashville, Tenn. Leather jackets and skinny jeans join cowboy boots. Country music lovers have long made the pilgrimage to Nashville, but now the city has... Read more
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Nevin Batiwalla Staff Reporter-Nashville Business Journal For the first time ever, the median sales price for a single-family home in Nashville surpassed $200,000 in June, the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors announced today. The median price for a single-family home sold in Nashville last month... Read more
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subset: commoncrawl


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G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #174
Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are on the hunt, tracking down the members of the deadly Blue Ninja clan and bringing them to justice before they cause more harm to the Arashikage. But these adversaries may prove too difficult for the ninjas to face alone it may be time to call in reinforcements! It's a deadly ninja showdown in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #174, don't miss it!
Cover Illustrators


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Just when it looked like Dell (DELL) was going to leave Mr. Market's arena at $13.65 a share, one of the most respected value investors in the land has said, "Not so fast." Southeastern Asset Management, owner of 8.5% of Dell's outstanding stock, has come out publicly and vehemently opposed any deal at or near the current takeout price. In a letter to Dell's board of directors, a copy of which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Southeastern did not mince words: "We are writing to express our extreme disappointment regarding the go-private transaction, which we believe grossly undervalues the Company."
I think Southeastern makes a solid argument with respect to Dell's valuation: If you account for Dell's pristine balance sheet, free-cash-flow generation and future growth in its enterprise software division, it's no wonder everyone lined up so quickly to make this deal happen. When I first took a closer look at Dell and made my attempt at valuing the business, I got to a value of $17 to $20 a share. Southeastern believes that $24 a share is a more appropriate fair value.
Southeastern's position is straightforward: If Dell sold its business piecemeal, the sum of the parts would fetch $24 a share. In addition, Southeastern pointed out various other actions Dell could take that it believes would be more value-creating for shareholders, among them a one-time dividend and a more shareholder-friendly buyout.
Sources estimate that Southeastern has a cost basis of around $24 per Dell share. Interestingly, many other large investors are believed to have a cost basis that's significantly higher than the buyout price. According to The Wall Street Journal, market-data firm Ipreo believes T. Rowe Price paid nearly $17 a share for its Dell stake.
What I do know is that Dell is one of Southeastern's largest investments -- and if the cost basis is accurate, the buyout would serve it a painful loss. The firm is resolute: "We retain and intend to avail ourselves of all options at our disposal to oppose the proposed transaction, including but not limited to a proxy fight, litigation claims, and any other available Delaware statutory appraisal rights."
Regardless of whether Southeastern is accurate in its $24 sum-of-the-parts Dell valuation, the wide gap between that appraisal and the buyout price indicates that Dell isn't a done deal by a long shot. Southeastern has far too much capital at stake to walk away, and they won't, as their letter indicated.
On the other hand, it's highly unlikely that this particular buyout group -- or anyone, for that matter -- will up the price to $24 a share. Unless Dell wants to spend time and money fighting a legal battle, I suspect it will have to come back with a superior offer, or allow a potential sale of Dell's various pieces first before accepting $13.65 a share. Founder and CEO Michael Dell, the only shareholder with a stake larger than that of Southeastern, won't vote on the proposed buyout.
Last week, I sold off our January 2015 $7 Dell call options at very modest discount to the buyout price. I do think Southeastern has a very legitimate claim that could prove fruitful, but there is no telling how long such a saga will play out. That said, if Dell shares slip even a little from the buyout price, I'll probably be looking to place another bet.


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Sunday, June 19, 2011
I was honored when Leah Schapira over at Cook Kosher invited me to guest post. I knew this recipe was the perfect one to share. It's super easy, and the timing is flexible enough for a weeknight dinner.
In fact, since I shared the recipe with Leah a few weeks ago, I've made these baguettes at least once a week, sometimes more. They are a new family favorite.
Please visit Cook Kosher for the recipe.
Do you bake bread? What's your favorite formula?
Linking this up to Let's Do Brunch.
Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2011 by Rivki Locker
6 comments:
I like the recipe for the basic boule from Artisan Bread in 5 min a Day.ReplyDelete
It won't do it justice if I repeat it here. There is a whole technique to it.
You make a big batch of very wet dough and use a little each day for several days. I find it's best on day 2 or 3.
TDR: I love the Artisan Bread in 5 min a day formula too! I go through stages where I have that in the fridge at all times. Maybe I'll give that a shot soon. Thanks for the reminder!ReplyDelete
Thanks for posting for us. I love the relaxed method, but usually I'm in a rush so I make a quick batch of Rolls or Pita.ReplyDelete
Ahhhh, the Laurie Colwin bread recipe. She was a woman ahead of her time. I love her books. If you love spinach, you seriously have to try her creamed spinach recipe.ReplyDelete
You are ambitious. I love your breads and your salads most of all, at least right now. Your radish salad sold me in your other blog.ReplyDelete
This is a lovely baguette recipe. I like the combination of white and whole wheat flour and also the addition of the wheat germ. Thank you for sharing it with Let's Do Brunch. Hope to 'see' you there again this week!ReplyDelete
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Looking around the online food world this morning:
- Is pimento cheese Southern? Charleston blogger Robert F. Moss offers a good look at the history at Al Forno (www.robertfmoss.com). And blogger Tim the Cheese Man ties the question to The Masters in Augusta. (Thanks to CNN's food web site, Eatocracy, for pointing out that link to the links, and to John T. Edge for tipping me off to Robert Moss.)
- While we're thinking about cheese, how do you make the best grilled cheese sandwich ever? Spread mayonnaise on the bread instead of butter. Francis Lam explains that and other grilled-cheese chef trucs at www.salon.com.
- Raise a toast to the debut of a new site at www.seriouseats: Serious Eats Drinks is dedicated to all things potable, from cocktails, wine and beer to coffee, tea and sodas. Today's offerings include a tasting of cream sodas.
- Where's the orange roughy at your Costco? www.change.org reports that mega-wholesalers Costco has agreed to cooperate with Greenpeace and pull 12 fish species that are fished unsustainably. Get the details here.
- And finally, David Leite wants to start a campaign to change the calendar. His reason: Making our food resolutions in January dooms our diets. See if you agree at www.leitesculinaria.


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Disruptive Forces: Amazon.comBy Chris Gonsalves Print
Location: Seattle
CEO: Jeff Bezos
Revenues: $14.8 billion
What they do: Online retail, storefronts for small businesses and enterprise-class cloud computing
Disruptive qualities: Amazon tripled revenues in the past six years with innovations that include adding outside vendors to its marketplace and perfecting digital book, music and movie delivery. Now, Amazon is distributing the keys to its technology kingdom by opening its massive infrastructure to innovative startups that use Amazon Web Services' pay-as-you-go computing power and storage to handle their computing and storage needs.
The tech that makes them tick: For Amazon's Web services, it's all about heft: a $2 billion infrastructure in the form of 10,000 distributed servers, along with standards-based REST and SOAP interfaces designed to work with any Internet-development tool kit.
Who they are disrupting: Amazon used to threaten only book and record stores, but now it's going after everyone who sells on-site IT infrastructure, not to mention the other emerging cloud-computing players such as IBM and Sun Microsystems. Can Salesforce.com and Microsoft Live be far behind?
Bungle in the jungle? Amazon Web Services has had its share of growing pains, including an outage of its Simple Storage Service (S3) hosted storage in February, which brought down thousands of startups for the better part of a day. Reliability of Web-based services can be difficult.
IT Solutions Builder TOP IT RESOURCES TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD
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What is your company size?
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The IMARRAP was approved by IFAD's Executive Board on 13 December 2007, became effective on 12 November 2008 and completed by 31 December 2014. The objective of the program was to achieve poverty reduction in the program area in a sustainable and gender equitable way by establishing enhanced productivity and improved access to information, technology, rural financial services and markets. The program included three technical components and one management component: (i) agricultural production and market access, (ii) strategic support to women; (iii) rural financial service; and (iv) program management and participation. The IMARRAP evaluation was one of retrospective evaluations selected by IFAD and the procedure had started to conduct at the second half year of 2014. A mixed method approach was used to evaluate the program, combined quasi-experimental designs with qualitative methods. The impact evaluation was carried out in all 9 poor counties of Ulanqab prefecture where the program was implemented. The counties involved in the study were Chayouqian Banner, Chayouzhong Banner, Chayouhou Banner, Siziwang Banner, Shandu County, Huade County, Xinghe County, Zhouzi County, and Liangcheng County. The sample was a representative of 54 towns, 3,027 natural villages (out of which 722 are administrative village) and a total of 125,000 households in Ulanqab prefecture. The main fieldwork was conducted in structured interviews with farmers based on the enhanced questionnaire as well as observations and group discussions with relevant stakeholders to capture the details of program implementation and evaluate the impact of the IMARRAP. The following were some key findings from the impact evaluation of IMARRAP:Poverty reduction is one of main objectives of IMARRAP. Wealth index and households' own judgments of their economic status were used as the objective and subjective measurement of poverty respectively. Results showed that at least 14.7% of poor households moved out of poverty due to the implementation of IMARRAP when we used difference-in-differences method to estimate the total average treatment effect of the program on the poverty.Food security is another objective of IMARRAP and measured by food consumption score. Results showed food security status has improved due to the implementation of IMARRAP and there was 13.7% (41 out of 300) of households who moved out of food insecure. Meanwhile, a double-difference estimate of food consumption frequency of different types of food demonstrated the program appeared to be promoting a more diverse diet.IMARRAP aimed to reduce poverty through "gender lens" and provided credits to strategic support women. A revised version of the WEAI was explored to measure the roles and extent of women's decision-making power in the agriculture sector. As the result, women were more empowered due to the implementation of the program, but women still had weak power in agricultural production decision-making, were lack of control over productive assets and had little access to credit. Therefore, these aspects need more interventions to increase empowerment. IMARRAP has introduced the new technologies such as greenhouse and potato net-shed to the poor people, and has provided relevant extension service. There was a positive significant difference in the technical efficiency indicator between treatment group and control group, which denoted the innovative method worked in the program area and the productivity of beneficiary households had improved. Then these modules helped households to move out of poverty and improved their food security status.A value chain concept has been permeating in the program area and marketing association played more and more important role in advancing the livelihoods of rural poor people. Marketing association not only provided market information but also expanded their sales network to help farmers to sell their products. In addition, marketing association guided farmers to produce clean and safe products to meet the rising demand for safety food. Being a leader in an association also assisted the development of women's self-confidence to influence change in their communities.
The formation of WGMC was one of important contents in the IMARRAP, which aimed to raise the income and status of poor women by improving their access to credit and knowledge. Results showed access to credit can enable women to play a more active role in household decision making and increase investment in family welfare. Compare to general credit, gender-specific credit was most used to buy animals or productive materials.Rural infrastructures, such as water supply, roads, telecommunication and TV reception, and sanitation, have been improved since 2009. And then these improvements made contributions to poverty reduction and food security.


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Please note: any display items in the photos, including old jewellery boxes, are for display only.
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Why Doesn't the Snippet Work? A Social Media Sharing Guide
Today we are talking about social sharing. There are plenty of strategy guides for sharing on social media, and our team has also written a few, both on this blog and on State of Search, so today I won't venture into that. However, what do you do when the content you and followers/fans share is not formatted properly? Or, what if it's not shareable at all?
When a post is shared on social networks like Facebook or Google + for instance, a snippet is generated from the page mark-up.
The snippets you see above are generally not taken from the title and meta description tags, well-known in the SEO world. They use instead Open Graph Protocol tags, a set of meta data that enables any webpage to be represented within the Social Graph. It was originally developed by Facebook and it's been used by many other social networks since then.
The basic four tags, required by the protocol, are: og:title, og:type, og:url, and og:image and they are placed within meta tags in the head of a webpage.
The attributes can vary in order, so for instance the above article from Mashable had:
<meta content="Facebook Unveils a Radically Redesigned News Feed" property="og:title" />
<meta content="article" property="og:type" />
<meta content="http://mashable.com/2013/03/07/new-facebook-news-feed/" property="og:url" />
<meta content="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzAzLzA3L2EyL01hcmtadWNrZXJiLjIxM2I2LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTcyMHg3MjAjCmUJanBn/b9d4f7ad/c7a/Mark-Zuckerberg-FB-news-feed.jpg" property="og:image" />
Yes, I know; that image URL is bloody long, but I guess that it's their CDN's fault, as I can safely assume they are using sets of unique identifiers for Mashable's static assets.
Mashable is the king of social sharing, so it's no surprise that they are using also several optional metadata. You can find the list of all the Open Graph Protocol tags here.
These tags should appear on every page that you want to be shared, unless you want social networks bots to best guess from the web page content which ones are the snippets to feature.
Any good social plugin will do the job of adding the tags for you, so you shouldn't worry about it… until problems arise.
Why the title appears twice when a blog post is published on Google +?
That's quite a common scenario. Google + is not the smartest social network (take that, Google), so it may go a bit nuts when it's given contrasting instructions, while Facebook seems to be able to handle it better. That's a happy Mark Zuckerberg.
Let's understand why this issue happens by going step by step. A post published Google+ including a link extracts the page title, a brief description of the page, and a thumbnail image from the shared page content in the following order:
1. Schema.org microdata
2. Open Graph protocol
3. Title and meta description tags
4. Best guess from page content
Search engines like Google are pushing for Schema microdata, so Google + will use the name, image and description properties of whichever schema.org type is being used. There is also a tool by Google to customize your G+ snippet.
However, when a property like og:title appears twice on a webpage, Google+ merges them and features them together in a long string, so you may get something like:
Facebook Unveils a Radically Redesigned News FeedFacebook Unveils a Radically Redesigned News Feed
which simply looks horrible. So, why on earth would the og:title be twice on a page? That happens when two plugins conflict and try to serve the same purpose. It could have been, for example, be introduced:
• Once from the OpenGraph Slick Social Share Buttons plugin
• Once from Yoast WordPress SEO plugin
Solution: go to one of the two plugin settings and deactivate the two Open Graph protocol metadata. In this case, I would intervene on Yoast's plugin.
Before doing anything, always double-check your page with the structured data testing tool; if there's anything wrong like a tag repeated twice, you should be able to spot it instantly. This is the output for a correctly implemented page.
If you have problems that seem to be attributed to your Open Graph Protocol tags (90% of the cases), and they are a bit more difficult to spot, use Facebook's own debug tool, which provides more data and allows you to see how their scraper sees your URL (similar to the Fetch as Google function in Google Webmaster Tools).
The post image is not featured in the snippet. Why?
This may depend on the image size and proportions (apart from the image not having metadata).
On LinkedIn, in fact, images are required to at least 80 x 150 pixels. If your post images doesn't meet the criteria meet this minimum size, LinkedIn selects an appropriate image of the correct size. It will be then cropped to 180×110 on the feed. If you don't want your images to look bad when they are posted, check this awesome cheatsheet put together by the guys at LunaMetrics.
However, in the latest days, Google + and Facebook have introduced new features, that change the size of the images. While Facebook updates are not publicly available yet, Google + users can now upload cover photos of up to 2120x1192px (minimum 480×270) and profile image sizes of 250×250.
That's it for the moment. But if you have any questions on social sharing, or you can't get your head round why your social snippets don't work, ask me any questions in the comments or hit me on twitter.


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Easy-Peasy DIY Brown Sugar Body Scrub!
Whether you're on a tight beauty budget or you simply like getting all crafty for your friends and fam, I've got an affordably fun gift idea—one that keeps on giving… luscious glowing skin, that is! 😉
Brown Sugar Body Scrub
What you'll need:
- An empty jar
- 1 cup organic brown sugar
- 1/2 cup jojoba oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
This really is the easiest beauty recipe on the planet. Simply mix all of your ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl and then pack all that brown sugar-y goodness into a jar.
I like to tie a cutesy, colorful ribbon around the jar so it looks über pretty. You can also add a personalized label. Let your creativity run wild, child! 🙂
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at email@example.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.
Filed in: DIY vegan beauty products
Comments (2)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
Oh goodness I hope you didn't use apple cider vinegar, they're such very different things! Jojoba oil is the liquid wax produced in the seed of the jojoba plant, so it's not at all like vinegar. Did you find any jojoba oil? I'm surprised it was so hard to find. Googling it and buying on line would be a good idea if you really can't find it where you live. Check Amazon if you're still looking! 🙂
where could i find jojoba oil in or near merrillville indiana ive been looking but cant find it if you could help that'd be great thank you either way or could i sub apple cider vinegar instead?


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Test it Out on Your Mobile Device
Pull to Refresh does exactly what it says on the tin. Pulling down to refresh the view has become a common web idiom since it's introduction in the Tweetie iPhone app. Now you can have it on your mobile app!
- Fully compatibile with jQuery Mobile
- Can fit in to any HTML page
- Customisable messages
- Styleable via CSS


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February 24, 2012
Coming Home To Tax Benefits
Posted in Uncategorized by Windermere Guest Author
As you file your 2011 taxes, this is a good time to think about how you can make the most of certain tax benefits now or in your future. For example, if you became a homeowner last year, you are now eligible to take advantage of one of the smartest ways to reduce your taxes.
Read More >
February 13, 2012
The Gardner Report (Fourth Quarter 2011, VOLUME X V I)
Posted in Market News by Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist, Windermere Real Estate
Windermere Real Estate is proud to partner with Gardner Economics on this analysis of the Western Washington real estate market. This report is designed to offer insight into the realities of the housing market.
Read More >
February 10, 2012
3.8% Medicare Real Estate Tax: Fact or Fiction?
Posted in Selling by Edward Krigsman
You may have heard rumors about a 3.8% seller real estate tax to begin in 2013 and wondered if there was any truth to it.
Read More >
February 02, 2012
Celebrating 40 Years, Together
Posted in Windermere Foundation and Windermere by Tara Sharp
Last week was a special week here at Windermere Real Estate. Close to 2,000 agents, franchise owners, and company leadership met up at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle to celebrate our company's 40th anniversary.
Read More >


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I'd like some help with setting up an internet forum of some sort to hook people up with shared rides, group rooms, camping, hostels, cheap motels, and other ways of getting to the Denver LP National Convention affordably.
A lot of what happened in Portland may have had to do with the fact that it was a long drive for most people, and one of the more expensive places to fly to, and partially as a result of that, the lowest attended LP national convention since the early 1970s. Furthermore, the people who are unable to afford these things are more likely to be radical and left-libertarians, although that is far from universally true.
Anyway, if anyone wants to help with setting this up, please let me know in the comments.


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Our shipping turnaround is currently 3-5 days
Bandanas are made from 100% cotton, so clean up is a breeze. Machine wash on cold (handwash preferred) lay flat to dry. For an extra dapper pup, you can iron your kerchief on the cotton/linen setting— non-decal side only!
This design comes in anklebiter, small, medium, and large. Our elastic strap bandana design makes sizing easier, and has a more streamlined, sleek fit!
These mini minis measure a wee 6 inches across and 5 inches at longest point, and are finished with 7 inch elastic straps. Especially designed for dogs 3-10 lbs!


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* This offer may contain time-sensitive information and offers. Please check with Champs Sports to confirm actual price & availability.
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The initials monogrammed on Joe Segal's shirt cuff are tiny as two ants.
A small identity stamp, not a grand embellishment. They are a modest statement, not unlike the one he gives about the June 4 gala that will celebrate his 88 years on this planet: "I don't want the dinner. I don't need it."
He flashes a wry smile, graciously downplaying his role as honoree at the fundraising event, Joe Segal: An Extraordinary Life.
"But if it's going to benefit an organization, I'll be there."
The organization is Coast Mental Health, beneficiary of the gala and much of Segal's legendary philanthropy.
The businessman who gleefully defied the predictions of in-laws, who once said he would never amount to anything, would rather talk about the plight of the mentally ill than himself.
With the deft hand of a man accustomed to successfully steering negotiations and sealing deals, Segal continually nudges the conversation in the direction he would like it to go.
"Twenty-five per cent of the population walking the streets around the world have a mental health problem of one type or another. There is a stigma. When you have cancer or a heart problem, there is lots of support. When you have mental health problems, you walk alone."
Segal knows what it is to walk alone — his father died when he was 14, prompting him to quit school and set out to earn his own way in the world. But since he met Rosalie, his wife of 65 years, he says he has been lucky to have a "partner in everything."
Together they have survived lean years and enjoyed Segal's extraordinary success, an adventure that has seen Segal go from penniless kid to billionaire business titan whose CV is stacked with awards and honours, not just for his business acumen, but for his humanitarian efforts and commitment to the community.
Together, Joe and Rosalie Segal have supported many causes, including unheralded interest-free micro loans to needy individuals, as well as contributions that have dramatically influenced the character of the city — such as their 2005 donation of the Bank of Montreal heritage building at Granville and Pender, which became the SFU Segal Graduate School of Business.
Most recently, the couple has poured their efforts, and money, into supporting mental health.
In 2010, the couple gave $12 million to the VGH & UBC Hospital foundation to create the Joseph and Rosalie Segal Family Health centre, a proposed 100-room acute-care centre serving people with mental health needs.
Sun pours in the wide corner windows of his office overlooking the Hotel Georgia and the Vancouver Art Gallery. Segal is here daily, his coffee table strewn with some of the dozens of newspapers and publications he reads each week.
The monogrammed shirt cuff is clipped with gold cufflinks. In the pocket of his perfectly tailored jacket is an orange paisley pocket square that matches his tie. On his lapel, two small pins representing his Order of B.C. and his Order of Canada.
The honours and accolades have streamed in over the decades as Segal built a merchandising empire that includes starting Fields department stores, acquiring Zellers, becoming the largest single shareholder of the Hudson's Bay Company and, later, real estate development and venture capital.
His community work includes six years as chancellor of SFU, and he's credited with having the vision for the downtown campus.
"He said why would you want to have your customers so far away?" marvels Jack Blaney, SFU president emeritus, recalling their first lunch some 20 years ago.
At Kingswood Capital's Georgia Street office, Segal's hand is still on every paper, his ear to the phone on deals, and each day around noon he strolls, as he has for 30 years, over to the Four Seasons for lunch.
Segal says he was moved to support mental health causes after attending a Courage to Come Back dinner 12 or 13 years ago. The dinner, where he heard people share personal stories of living with mental and emotional issues, moved him deeply.
Learning that mental health was chronically underfunded was a clarion call.
He and Rosalie quickly adopted the cause that advocates call the health system's "neglected stepchild."
"It's not a sexy cause," says Segal, musing on why mental health services have been so overlooked.
He looks out the window. "Just imagine how many people walk the streets and have nowhere to turn, no one to turn to. Can you imagine being on the street with no support mechanism in your life, all alone?"
More than one stranger has made their from the street up to Segal's fifth floor office on a small pilgrimage of hope. Sometimes they come for advice. For mentoring. Sometimes for an envelope Segal has left discreetly at the front desk.
David McLean, chairman of CN and head of the McLean Group says he's observed Segal's quiet, constant generosity during their 40-year friendship.
"Joe is one of those guys who has been very good to a lot of people in need, and has done so with very little fanfare. He's the kind of guy who does it, and says, 'You help someone when you can. Pay it forward.'"
Segal protests. "I don't want to talk about this. I'm embarrassed saying all these things."
He'd rather acknowledge the people that are on the ground putting the dollars to use.
"Writing a cheque, if you have the money, is easy. Involving yourself in the work, that's hard."
He wants to clarify.
He tucks his handkerchief back in his inside pocket and leans forward.
This, he says, is important.
"You knock on a door in East Hastings and an elderly woman comes to the door. She's 78, maybe 80 and she's living in this little house, and she's been living there for 50 years. She and her husband dreamed of owning a house. So they built this house and they lived in this house, and he died and left a pension. A modest pension. When they built it, there were property taxes of maybe $1,000, but now the property taxes are $10,000 because the lot has gone up in value, but she and her husband had this dream, and she wants to stay in this house, and she wants to die here.
"You knock on the door soliciting for whatever, and she wants to say, 'I can't help you.' But she doesn't. She says, 'Just a minute.' She goes to the kitchen. She opens up the cookie jar where she keeps all her money and her shopping list and she takes out $20, and she gives him $20. But what he doesn't know is that she went back to the kitchen, she took out her shopping list and she crossed off three items. That's giving. Because she feels it. And she misses it."
The story could be a parable, but it illustrates more than just what Segal sees as true giving. It's what so many of his friends and colleagues try to explain about the way he lives and does business, but have difficulty putting into words: Joe sees the whole picture, and in some unconventional way that borders on the mystic, he feels it. Not just the dollars and cents of a transaction, but the entire emotional tapestry of meaning and influence behind it.
Joe Segal says life is not a journey, or a road. "It's a runway. You've only got so much runway before you take off."
"How old are you?" he asks. He'll crunch the numbers, eyes gleaming, calculate what percentage you've covered, how much distance you've got left — and he's not afraid to estimate the length of his own runway, what's used up, what's yet to come.
When he was a kid, and the runway was a limitless stretch, he wanted only one thing: "To be a success."
What success meant then, and what it means now are different, he admits.
In the beginning it was about independence, earned a few cents at a time.
"Success, to start with, is making a living," he says.
"When my father died, I quit school. My mother was a widow, I had siblings, I didn't want to have to come home and say give me half a dollar."
To buy a second-hand bicycle, he sold frozen whitefish door to door in Vegreville, Alta., the town where he was born.
"I'd sell you a fish," he chuckles.
Things were looking up when, at 17, he got work in the North, building the Alaska Highway.
At the end of a year, he had saved $3,000.
Flush, he hopped on a train and headed to Calgary, where he had a girlfriend.
"I landed at the station on 9th Street. There was a taxi office across the street. Polly's taxi. I had a reservation at the York hotel on Centre Street. I got in this cab and the guy said, 'Where you from?' I said, 'I've been up in the bush.' He said, 'What do you do up there?' I said, 'There's nothing to do. We play a little friendly poker.'"
The cab driver proposed a little friendly poker game right there, in the office at Polly's taxi. "We played poker in the office, and then we adjourned to my hotel and played poker all night and by the time we were finished I had nothing."
Busted flat, Segal phoned his mother. "I said, 'I can't pay the hotel bill.'"
She told him he'd made his bed, he'd have to sleep in it.
He still remembers the taxi driver's name, but he doesn't hold any resentment.
"It's part of life. It's part of growing up. Experience is something you don't get out of a textbook. If you learn something, it's worth it."
Segal had to find work immediately, so he joined the army.
After 30 days of basic training, the young soldier was sent to war.
He served 2½ years overseas with the Calgary Highlanders, was a participant in the liberation of the Netherlands and stayed on with the occupation forces in Germany.
"When you're young, there are lots of things that you can tolerate. Emotional. And you can bounce back. When I was young, and I was in the army and I was overseas, life took on a different meaning. The value of life was different."
He instructs not to land, but to skim gently over this part of the runway: "Don't get into this stuff," he says. "I'd rather talk about life, and people."
Segal reconsiders for a moment. He recalls how once, when he was trapped in a crossfire, he prayed. And of course, he learned.
"When things really look tough, you can't blame God. You have to give him the benefit of the doubt when things look tough, and give him the benefit of the doubt when things look good."
Segal's optimism and independence are part of what attracted Rosalie when, at 15, she first met him.
It was 1946. Segal, 21, had returned from the war and was visiting family in B.C.
Rosalie was a stunning, dark-haired beauty with silver screen looks, in whom her Russian émigré parents had invested all their hopes: hopes for a doctor, or a lawyer, a professional at the very least.
But along came Joe.
"I don't know how it happened, or why, because Joe was shorter than guys I dated, and blond, and I always dated dark guys, and he weighed 121 pounds, but we just hit it off."
Segal approached her parents to formally request her hand in marriage. They sent him packing.
"Joe was just starting out, he had nothing," says Rosalie.
It wasn't that they didn't like the slight, but charming, young man who said he wanted to build an empire. Rosalie's parents were European, she explains. They had escaped Russia during the pogroms. Education, status and class were important, and part of a defined system. You couldn't just earn those things. Joe had nothing but promises and bright dreams.
He also had Rosalie's heart. When Joe was 23, and Rosalie 17, her parents gave in and the couple married.
"When I started in business, the only thing I could buy was what nobody else wanted," says Segal. "The leftovers. I had no money, no credit, no nothing."
War surplus was the only thing Segal could afford, and even in war surplus there was a pecking order. The good stuff, the land, aircraft, weapons and ammunition went to the high rollers.
Segal got the paint. Two thousand five-gallon drums of olive drab.
"I could hardly lift it, I couldn't sell it." No one would paint a house that colour.
"I had to figure out how to sell the stuff."
So Segal rented a truck and hit the road, peddling the paint door to door in Chilliwack, then Ladner, out again the next day. He convinced the farmers that olive drab would spruce up their dilapidated barns.
Drum by drum he sold the paint he had purchased at 25 cents a gallon for $2 a gallon.
Next came direct current oscillating fans from the navy.
No one wanted those either. He changed each fan to alternating current, AC, so they could be used in residences. They sold.
Then came an entire lot of medical equipment: sutures, cranium drills, autoclaves.
He had no idea how much the stuff was worth, so he put an ad in the newspaper inviting doctors and hospitals to come and buy it at a discount.
"They would come in and say, 'How much for this autoclave?' and I'd say, 'You know how much it is, now take 50 per cent off.' They'd cheat me a little, and I would let them," he says.
When he made a deal, they got a deal. Everyone was happy.
It's an example of Segal's character that has contributed to his success: "When he makes a deal, he always leaves something on the table," says his longtime friend and legal counsel Morley Koffman.
Segal wants to make a deal that benefits both parties.
"He always says, you'll want to do business with that person again. Leave them something."
Segal branched out from war surplus to women's fashions when he bought a load of Simpsons-Sears leftovers: blouses and dresses that hadn't sold the previous season and couldn't be put in the catalogue again.
He rented a storefront, took out big newspaper ads and sold the blouses for $9.95, a third of what they'd sold for in the catalogue.
Segal says no one thought it would work. Who would want last season's fashions?
The merchandise flew out the door.
In 1948, at the age of 25, he founded a no-frills, cash and carry discount department store.
Originally he dubbed the store Thrifty's. He'd already bought ads with the name, but something didn't look right. Then it hit him. If he called it Thrifty's, he'd be boxed in to always selling at a bargain.
"You have to allow yourself to be flexible," he says. He pulled the ads, and changed the name to Fields.
Segal took the company public in 1968, then expanded by purchasing 240 hardware stores and transformed them to Fields franchises. Less than a decade later, Fields acquired Zellers.
Segal had already observed the struggling Zellers store near one of his Fields locations: "I had 6,000 square feet and was doing $1,000,000 a year. They had 24,000 square feet and were doing $400,000 a year."
The acquisition was a David and Goliath deal, recalls Koffman.
Segal, with Koffman and Rosalie at his side, led a bidding war against a multinational corporation in a New York bankruptcy court.
Segal had limited funds. His competitor could have outbid him, but the representatives they had sent were not able to make decisions without consulting their headquarters in Minnesota, a process that hampered them in the direct bidding war Segal led.
Segal was so shrewd in his strategy "the judge had no choice but to give it to him.
He said, 'I hope I never have to see you in here again,'" says Koffman, his voice still tinged with admiration. "He was the dark horse, and he got it."
Within three years, Segal had turned Zellers from a foundering white elephant to a player worth $800 million.
Segal has an expression for how he turns a business around.
Rosalie explains. "He says he takes the Saran Wrap off and lets it breathe. He has a feeling, and a sense for people. He puts people in the right place, he puts a round peg in a round hole."
Three years later, Segal, who had been quietly purchasing stock in the Hudson's Bay, was poised to take over the company that was once described by Canada's Governor General as "a kind of kingdom."
Each deal, Segal explains, was a single step.
"You have to go up the ladder rung by rung," says Segal. "You can go up one rung, sometimes two but if you try to step to the top of the ladder it will become unbalanced, and you'll fall."
There has to be a certain logic to what you do.
"If you can't afford it, don't do it," says Segal.
"Every thing is a risk/reward ratio. If you can't afford the risk, you shouldn't try for the reward. You'll knock the ladder over. If you can afford to risk less, the reward may be less but you're not going to be bankrupt. Life is about logic."
Sometimes, however, the heart has its own logic. Segal would, after much consideration, give up the Hudson's Bay takeoveropportunity in order to manage a more important bottom line.
Rosalie had four children in quick succession. She was both mom and dad when the kids were little. "I wanted my children, I wanted to be a parent," recalls Rosalie.
But she also wanted Joe. Segal worked day and night from the time they were married.
"If he came home and offered the kids a piece of candy, they would look at me to ask if it was all right to have it," she says.
"What I remember about my dad, is that he was never around," says son Lorne, director of the Vancouver Board of Trade and President of Kingswood Properties.
He thinks for a few minutes about the father who was absent, who is now so present in his life that they are — most days — just a few paces from each other at their Kingswood Capital headquarters. "I do remember that sometimes when he came home late at night, he would tuck me in. Then he would lie down in bed with me. Sometimes I would pretend to be asleep just so he would do that."
There was a fierce closeness, even when Segal worked seven days a week.
Lorne says Rosalie made their home a haven to them and all the stray kids in the neighbourhood. On Friday nights with the baking Rosalie was famous for and a gaggle of kids that had nowhere to go, the house was dubbed "Segal Centre" long before the family was donating buildings for wider community causes.
That first house was tight, and so were funds, says Rosalie.
"He bought this little house with one bathroom. I didn't have a car. We had four children. If I went to the doctor, we went on the bus. If we went to Safeway, I piled them all into the buggy."
As their financial situation improved, and Joe built the empire he'd promised Rosalie, the Saran Wrap came off their own lives and the couple found their oxygen in giving back to the community.
"We never argue about a donation," says Rosalie.
Over the years, their philanthropy has been poured into the United Way, Variety Club, Simon Fraser University, the Children's Hospital Foundation, the Hebrew Free Loan Association, Coast Mental Health and dozens of other organizations. But a server in a restaurant who can't make rent, a friend of a friend who can't make tuition, or someone in need on the street might be just as likely a recipient.
"It used to bother me so much when I saw people begging. It would actually depress me, put me in a state, from the time I was young," says Rosalie. "To this day, I won't pass someone on the street. People say they're just going to buy drugs, but I don't care what they do with it as long as I give them something to ease their pain."
Segal stepped back from the opportunity to further build HBC when he realized that in order to do so would mean either being away from his family, or moving them to Toronto. It would also mean leaving behind the community he had become so deeply connected to in Vancouver.
The risk/reward ratio was unbalanced.
"I have no regrets," he says. "I started with nothing. Today I have everything, and by everything I don't mean the material. Everything is emotional first. If you haven't got the right emotional environment, you have nothing. Money is just a by-product of success. Happiness is the true measure of success."
He smiles. He's thinking about the runway again, crunching his own numbers.
"I've only got a little bit of the runway left," he says, measuring a small span in the air.
Segal has the controls again, steering deftly toward his ultimate destination.
The man who launched his magic voyage by taking on the leftovers, the stuff no one else wanted, has more personal business to attend to. Raising money for the most neglected community members. The mentally ill and emotionally vulnerable. The leftovers.
"Can you imagine being alone and without anyone to turn to? Loneliness is the most difficult thing in the world. It doesn't matter what the age is. It's quite profound in the elderly. If you have nowhere to turn, no one to speak to, no one to look to for consolation and encouragement? Everybody wants to be loved, everybody wants to be cared for."
Joe Segal wants to talk about people. Other people.


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Construction Consumer Products Metals & Materials Safety Environment Transportation Chemicals Energy Medical Quality
Liquid Medicine Flow Control Devices
Each year thousands of children are brought to hospital emergency rooms after ingesting medicine they've gained access to on their own. The PROTECT Initiative, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brings together public and private partners to help keep children safe from unintentional medication overdoses.
A key activity of PROTECT has been to encourage development and evaluation of enhanced safety packaging. These efforts have led to the development of a proposed new ASTM standard for flow control devices for liquid medicines and other consumer products that may be hazardous to children.
The proposed new standard, ASTM WK41534, Practice for Assessment of Non-Metered Flow Control Devices for Liquid Consumer Products, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D10.32 on Consumer, Pharmaceutical, Medical and Child Resistant Packaging, part of ASTM International Committee D10 on Packaging.
Flow control devices are adapters added to the neck of a bottle to control the release of liquid and could be used as a means to limit the amount a young child could access if an initial child-resistant closure, such as a bottle-and-cap system, is breached. These devices have the potential to be an important safety innovation for liquid medicines.
However, while different flow control devices are currently available, there are no standards for the operating characteristics of such devices. The proposed ASTM standard will help manufacturers to assess whether specific flow control devices would be effective in limiting child access when used in combination with specific liquid contents.
The proposed practice will cover the assessment of non-metered flow control device characteristics so that the devices can be evaluated to standards that represent efficacy in limiting accessibility of liquid medicines to young children. ASTM WK41534 will use mechanical testing to simulate methods that could be used by young children to access liquid products.
Types of mechanical tests to be covered in WK41534 include:
The proposed practice will cover field conditions and variables such as temperature, fill capacity, angle of inclination and applied pressure/force. For each condition tested, the amount of liquid removed will be assessed.
The D10.32 task group developing WK41534 welcomes all interested parties.
CONTACT Technical Information: Dan Budnitz, Centers for Disease Control • Atlanta, Ga. • Phone: 404-639-4096 • Stuart Dejong, Primary Delivery Systems • Deland, Fla. • Phone: 386-228-1004 | ASTM Staff: Diane Trinsey • Phone: 610-832-9661 | Upcoming Meeting: Aug. 20, 2013, 2:00 p.m. Contact Diane Trinsey, ASTM International, for more information.


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Pianist Adam Clark of the Hope College music faculty will perform on Tuesday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The program will include Sergei Prokofiev's "Piano Sonata No. 7"; Ludwig Van Beethoven's "Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 110"; and additional works by Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy, and Johann Sebastian Bach/Leopold Godowsky.
Clark joined the Hope faculty as an assistant professor of music in 2008 and currently teaches courses in applied piano, keyboard skills and piano pedagogy.
He earned his DMA in piano performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), while his bachelor's and master's degrees were completed at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the University of Texas at Austin. His former teachers include Charles Asche, Nancy Garrett, and Eugene and Elizabeth Pridonoff.
An active soloist and chamber musician, Clark has performed to great acclaim throughout the United States, as well as in Belgium and Italy. Of his playing, "New York Concert Review Magazine" wrote, "Clark brought out much beauty in Chopin's soulfully embroidered melodies. He played with thoughtful expressiveness," and "achieved an excellent blend [with the orchestra]."
His competition awards include first prize in the San Luis Obispo Symphony Concerto Competition and second prize in the CCM Concerto Competition. He has been noted for his role as producer and performer for the "Back to Bach" series in Cincinnati as well, which presented, over the course of two evenings, the complete solo piano concerti of J.S. Bach.
An active pedagogue, Clark has also lectured on diverse topics ranging from technical and musical development to 20th century pedagogical literature. He has given presentations for the Holland Piano Teachers Forum and the Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3) and is a regular attendee of notable conventions including the MTNA National Convention and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th Street.


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Fake ID/Misrepresentation of Age in Washington, DC
It is illegal in D.C. to misrepresent one's age or to possess a false ID card in order to buy, possess or drink an alcoholic beverage. Specifically, according to D.C. Code § 25-1002, "[n]o person shall falsely represent his or her age, or possess or present proof of age an identification document which is in any way fraudulent, for the purpose of purchasing, possessing, or drinking an alcoholic beverage in the District."
A person who violates this law can be subject to either criminal or civil penalties. A criminal conviction for this misdemeanor offense carries the following penalties:
- a fine of not more than $300 and a 90-day suspension of driving privileges in the District for a first conviction;
- a $600 fine and a 180-suspension of driving privileges for a second conviction; and
- a $1,000 fine and one-year suspension of driving privileges for a third or subsequent conviction.
Failure to pay a fine after being convicted of this offense can result in imprisonment of up to 30 days. See D.C. Code § 25-1002(c)(6).
First-time and second-time offenders may be eligible for a "diversion program." According to such a program, which is written into the statute, the government agrees to postpone prosecution for a period of time (usually 3 to 6 months) to give the person accused of the offense to complete a set of negotiated conditions. Typical of such conditions would be the requirement that the person perform community service, complete an alcohol awareness/education program, and/or pay a small fine. The government agrees to then dismiss the charges once all conditions have been satisfied, and the person does not need to deal with the consequences of a criminal conviction. See D.C. Code § 25-1002(c)(2).
The False ID/Misrepresentation of Age statute also allows a person to file a petition to seal/expunge all records associated with the arrest six months after the case is resolved. This is unlike many other criminal offenses in D.C. in which, absent a showing of actual innocence, the accused must wait at least eight years in the case of most misdemeanor convictions and at least two years in the case of most misdemeanor arrests that are dismissed without conviction. See D.C. Code § 25-1002(c)(4).
Although False ID/Misrepresentation of Age is a minor misdemeanor punishable in most cases by no more than a fine and loss of driving privileges, being found guilty of the offense would still result in a criminal conviction on one's record. A person charged with this offense should therefore consult a good attorney with experience in this area. Jamison Koehler can be reached at email@example.com.


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Food & Drink
How to give back on your next getaway
By Allison Gilbert, Special to CNN • Updated 20th January 2013
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
is inspiring people across the country to volunteer this holiday weekend.
But if you're itching to do more -- perhaps turning your next family vacation into a series of teachable moments about the importance of giving back -- there are plenty of opportunities to make that happen.
More than Disney
A trip to Orlando can easily involve service. Just 20 minutes from Walt Disney World is a theme park called
Give Kids the World Village
. Its 70-acre grounds host 7,000 children with life-threatening illnesses every year.
"We partner with more than 250 wish-granting organizations around the world to help fulfill a child's one wish to visit the beloved theme parks of Central Florida," says Colette Krahenbuhl, a spokeswoman. "If a child's wish is to swim with the dolphins, we are the destination. If a child's wish is to get a hug from Mickey Mouse, we help make that happen."
The resort relies heavily on volunteers. Since its founding in 1986, more than 50,000 volunteer "angels" have been put to work. Children as young as 12 can help out by scooping ice cream and serving meals, and children who love performing can even be part of the evening entertainment. The minimum commitment is one three-hour shift.
Sweat-soaked volunteering
The Sierra Club offers volunteer trips year-round at Arches National Park in Utah and other destinations.
If your family wants a physically demanding volunteer vacation, the Sierra Club and local trails organizations offer unique, sweat-soaked opportunities.
For as little as $400, a family of four can spend four to five days with the
Adirondack Mountain Club
-- meals, lodging (usually tents), transportation and equipment included. You'll be doing much-needed trail maintenance, and reconstruction projects and your kids will be taught outdoor survival skills.
But hikers beware: "While we know children have a lot of fun on these trips and they are exposed to an incredible experience, it can certainly be challenging," warns Wes Lampman, the club's director of north country operations.
The club doesn't have age restrictions, but parents are urged to use their best judgment regarding their child's interest and physical ability. Trips are offered June through October.
Chelsea Clinton: We can make a difference
Good works and decent lodgin
The Sierra Club offers volunteer trips year-round at some of the country's top tourist destinations. At
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon
in Utah, parents and children can assist in removing unwanted vegetation, while in
Marin County
, California, families can help protect endangered Coho salmon and Steelhead trout.
All meals and equipment are included, but the fee for joining is significantly higher. Helping out next October
along the
New Jersey Seashore
, especially meaningful after Hurricane Sandy's devastation, will cost $595 per person. But if you're looking to spend a week away from home -- doing good and staying in hotel-style lodging -- this trip may still be a bargain.
Pauline Frommer, co-host of the nationally syndicated radio program "The Travel Show" and speaker at this year's New York Times Travel Show, says volunteer vacations offer children what they often don't get enough of in school.
"As volunteers, children can get down on the ground," says Frommer, who recommends
Global Volunteers
trips. "They can get dirty. Unlike any other kind of travel, kids will get to better understand different people and their communities and their problems."
to help others
Trekking for Kids
merges one-of-a-kind hiking expeditions to places such as Machu Picchu in Peru and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with the ability to help orphans in those communities.
"Children are increasingly living a multicultural global existence," says Cindy Steuart, executive director of the nonprofit travel group. "By being intimately involved in these service projects, they learn they can contribute to the greater good and make a difference. Our trips teach kids this lesson from the moment they sign up."
That's because Trekking for Kids doesn't let parents just write a check and have their kids show up. Each participant pays his or her own expenses and commits to raising $1,000.
Children have raised money by holding bake sales, asking family and friends for donations and conducting tag sales. "We think this increases a child's personal stake in the trip. Kids become more passionate," Steuart says. All money raised is poured into the orphanage the family will eventually visit, she says.
As you plan your family's volunteer vacation, Frommer suggests keeping the following in mind: How long has the organization been in business? Do volunteers come back? Ask to speak with past volunteers; they are likely to be candid about their experiences.
No matter which organization you partner with, Steuart says your child will likely learn an invaluable lesson. "They'll understand the world is not just about them. It's about how others struggle to live and what we can do to help. I think that's the kind of world Martin Luther King wanted."
A life celebrated through service
A year of the world's
Best Beaches
There's a perfect beach for every week of the year. Join us on a 12-month journey to see them all
Go to the best beaches


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Door Repairs
Door Repairs Cosham
Don't replace them your doors... Our door repairs in Cosham can save you money.
Our Cosham door repair service costs a fraction of the cost of replacing a door and the whole process is very quick and easy. Replacing glass is much more cost-efficient than replacing the whole door. Hinges, handles and rubber seals are all replaceable too.
Cosham Door Repairs Service
Window Aid can offer solutions to most Cosham door issues:
- Misted Up glass
- Broken Glass
- Stiff door adjustments
- Broken hinges
- Loose, stiff or broken handles
- Locking mechanisms not working
- Worn or broken patio door wheels and runners
- Excessive gaps in doors
Door Frame Repairs Cosham
Sometimes uPVC and aluminium door frames can be repaired if not too badly scratched or cracked, we offer to visit and advise you on the best course of action.
- Repairs are undertaken with frame in-situ, no need to remove the door.
- No problems with matching to existing windows or doors as it's a repair not replacement.
- Providing the damage is not too extensive, in most cases the door repair is as good as the original.
- Cost effective - a repair is much cheaper to carry out, so this may also reduce your insurance premiums.
Call - 02392 740408If you have any questions or require further information


text:
Recent 2015 Nepal earthquake on 25 April reminded us that human species is helpless in front of mother nature. Recent earthquake already killed 7000 people and it's the death is expected to exceed 10000 and injured more than 15000 people. Here is a list of 10 deadliest earthquakes in the world in human history in terms of fatality and damage. …Read More »
Tag Archives: Indian Ocean Earthquake
Top 10 Largest Earthquakes in Recorded History
This article will provide you a list of Top 10 Largest Earthquakes in the world. Due to advancement in seismology and geological survey it's quite easy to determine the magnitude of any earthquake, it was not so easy in recent past. That's the reason you will not find any earthquake dating earlier to the 19th century. It does not mean …Read More »


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[Black Star Sports]
I arrived at the Wa-Mu Theatre yesterday at Madison Square Garden, January 15, 2008, to enjoy a "great" Press Conference between Tito Trinidad and Roy Jones, Jr., for the "Bring on the Titans", "Catch-Weight" mega fight
It's a strange match because these great boxing warriors and former world champs are finally meeting in the ring, and maybe five years too late. Why too late? Simply because as I remember, Tito Trinidad was a mere Jr. welterweight, welterweight, light-middleweight, and middleweight, and Roy Jones, Jr. was a middleweight, super-middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.
The amazing thing about this match is that both Roy and Tito were champions in those weight categories for a long time and there was no way that Tito could "beef" up to light or heavyweight any more than Roy would go down to middleweight to fight each other.
This fight could never have been made years ago at any weight, so why now? Simply because it makes sense to the promoters to bring in two "bankable" fighters with a legacy, and at a catch-weight-170 pounds to fight each other for the "entertainment" of the boxing public in an effort to maintain the mystique that they still have championship years left in them to gain another world title.
Surprisingly, the "target" title is none other than Joe Calzaghe's super-middleweight crown providing that Bernard Hopkins "steps" aside and stays retired.
Roy Jones was comically frank when he stated that, "I can't see a guy who was a welterweight, super-middleweight and not too good of a middleweight beating me. If that happens, then it is time for me to hang up the gloves."
Jones then further stated that Tito was in for a big surprise because he kept saying that Jones was going to be his 4th Olympic Gold Medal victim since he already beat Oscar De La Hoya, Pernell Whitaker, and David Reid. Jones further predicted, "I'll knock him out in four, because if he talks some 'Mo', I'll knock him out in "Fo!"
Roy Jones believes that Tito Trinidad will come after him because that is the only way Tito knows how to fight due to his tenacious style. But it would be of no avail since he will then box him because at his training camp, which was far away in the "hills," and not Pensacola as usual, Roy trained and rediscovered the "old" Roy Jones, Jr.
Roy concluded his interview by stating, "I am a gym rat but, because of my age, 39, I can never be as good as I was. But, this Saturday, for just one night only, I will be as good as I once was. So everyone will see the old Roy Jones, Jr. in action again."
Tito Trinidad, who turned 35 last week, gave me the impression that he was fighting again just to keep "busy" because he was actually bored in his retirement, despite his family and his retained wealth. He tried managing musical acts and being a "Reggae tone" singer himself but that apparently was not enough. He actually misses the ring "wars" but the question is--is he ready for Roy Jones, Jr.?
In the interview, Trinidad told me that he had been training for over six months and although retired, he also was a gym rat. He says he has run a few marathons in Puerto Rico, so feels he is still in good condition and only needs to keep working out and working on his boxing basics.
"I will knock out Roy Jones and he knows it," claimed Trinidad. "I told Roy he is going to be my 4th Olympian victim. I know he has been saying that I will go down in four, but lately he has been changing that prediction from four to six to eight, so he is getting the picture that he is going to lose," stated Trinidad with bravado.
I am troubled by the fact that Tito was actually brought out of retirement by the "adoring public" who kept urging him to fight again. The fans "missed" him and of course Don King kept calling. Papa Trinidad, who would only approve of a comeback if the opponent was Roy Jones, Jr., agreed on the match. Guess what, Jones wanting to stay active since his devastating loses to Antonio Tarver and Glenn Johnson accepted the challenge. But remember it is not Tito's adoring public, nor Don King, nor Papa Trinidad who will face Roy Jones, Jr.; it is Tito by himself. Is he ready?
These ring warriors have posted an enviable ring record of 99 fights combined with 73 knockouts, with only 6 losses, and amazingly, won 13 world titles, 5 for Trinidad, and 8 for Jones, Hall of Fame stats for sure, but is this fight worthy?
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"Speaking Truth To Empower."
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Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to firstname.lastname@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com
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Black Star News has been producing stellar investigative journalism since 1997, including focusing on police brutality and other abuses targeting marginalized communities. We have broken several major stories. We welcome news tips to email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com
We need your advertising support to produce strong journalism, especially during periods of economic instability, so please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for advertising rates and long term packages.
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How Free Speech Died on Campus
In a 2012 interview, Greg Lukianoff describes how universities became the most authoritarian institutions in America.
New York
At Yale University, you can be prevented from putting an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote on your T-shirt. At Tufts, you can be censured for quoting certain passages from the Quran. Welcome to the most authoritarian institution in America: the modern university—"a bizarre, parallel dimension," as Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, calls it.
To Read the Full Story